After participating in Debra Kristi’s flash fiction challenge, I've been thinking long and hard about organizing my own writer's retreat. Needing an avenue to start at I checked online for writing group retreats. I found that nothing fit my date or price range. This took me back to the Lower Mainland where I live. Since I'm considering three days minimum, the hotel route could be pricey.
One promising option I've found is shared office space for $5 per hour, but the downside is there could be several office-related distractions ranging from cell phone calls to chatting with the other cohorts in the room. Still, outside distractions may not be as bad as at-home distractions of cat, laundry, crafts, renos, Internet, steampunk, TV, the list goes on..... I’ve made it a fine art of keeping myself occupied at home over the years and now there are many things to occupy my time.
With all these distractions it means very few hours per week spent doing any sort of writing, let alone the kind of fiction I want to write.
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| My patio: distraction or inspiration? |
Dictionary.com has this definition of the word “retreat”:
1. the forced or strategic withdrawal of an army or an armed force before an enemy, or the withdrawing of a naval force from action. - This sounds like a great idea for a short story!
2. the act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion. - This is exactly what I need to do in order to get some writing work done.
3. an asylum, as for the insane. - This could be the spot for me.
Other retreat options include staying at a friend’s place, sitting out on the patio, visiting a café, sitting in a park, and locking myself in a closet.
Please stay tuned to find out when I will vote myself out of the house for my top secret writer’s retreat.
Things you can try is spending a day at your local coffee house. Have laptop will travel.
ReplyDeleteThere is also hanging out in the park, depending on the life of your battery you can type away or go old school with a journal. I have done this and find it very inspirational.
There is also your local library.
These are all options if you can't afford to go away for a few days. I only manage it because my timeshare was going to expire. Happens to me often. They sit in the space bank for years until they are about to poof into nothing. Then I'm scrambling for where I can go so that they don't go to waste.
The important thing is that you keep writing each day. The more you write the more you will will see improvement. There is always room for improvement in all of us. Plus, we need to write to finish our stories. :)
Thanks for the good tips! I'm on a roll this week. I can see the importance of writing every day. I type little notes into my iphone so I don't forget my ideas.
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